“Pink Panther” cartoons get the DVD treatment

When Warner Bros. closed down their “Termite Terrace” cartoon division in the early 1960s, famous cartoon-maker Friz Freleng and David DePatie went into business for themselves, making cartoon commercials for Madison Avenue ad agencies.

Director Blake Edwards contacted DePatie in 1962, asking him to create an animated opening title for his newest comedy starring Peter Sellers, “The Pink Panther.” Upon the film’s release in 1963, most media outlets hailed the opening credits as being “better than the film itself.”

Freleng and DePatie worked out a deal with Edwards and the Mirsch Corporation (the “Pink Panther” distributor) to produce a series of cartoons based on the Pink Panther. For five years, the small company created a new Pink Panther cartoon every month, all starring the silent pink feline.

Heavy on sight gags, the cartoons became an instant success. Their first cartoon, “The Pink Phink” won an Academy Award. It’s the one where the Pink Panther is painting everything pink while the “Angry White Guy” (a recurring character loosely based on Freling) contractor is trying to paint everything blue.

The cartoons were also an international hit. Being mostly silent, the Pink Panther usually didn’t need to be dubbed in the host country’s language, which made him attractive to foreign film distributors. And when movie theaters stopped showing cartoons before features, the Pink Panther shorts made their way to Saturday morning syndication, along with numerous locally produced kids’ shows.

Now you can buy all of the Pink Panther cartoons in one big DVD set, “The Pink Panther Classic Cartoon Collection.” It has 124 cartoons spread out over five discs, to include the animated credits for five of the “Pink Panther” films.

Extras include the documentary “Behind the Feline: the Cartoon Phenomenon;” featurettes and interviews on the animation and history of the Pink Panther and his creators; storyboard to completed cartoon comparisons; and animator Art Leonardi shows how to draw the Pink Panther.

The set even includes the only two cartoons where the Pink Panther actually speaks: “Sink Pink,” where the Panther’s single line was voiced by “My Fair Lady” star Rex Harrison; and “Pink Ice,” with voice by impressionist Rich Little.

The cartoons are as enjoyable as they always were, but don’t plan on watching all of them at once, or even one disc at once. That delightful Henry Mancini theme song starts to tweak at your brain after about the tenth cartoon. It’s like going through the “It’s a Small World” ride at Disneyland.